Recoil management system

ABSTRACT

A recoil management system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.18/050,884, filed Oct. 28, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/330,181, filed May 25, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No.11,512,918, issued Nov. 29, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/743,349, filed Jan. 15, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No.11,047,641, issued Jun. 29, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/052,012, filed Aug. 1, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No.10,571,211, issued Feb. 25, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/558,196, filed Sep. 13, 2017.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to recoil management systems. Morespecifically, recoil management systems that work in conjunction withcommonly available tripods, for example, those utilized with cameras.

The traditional manner of achieving maximum accuracy in rifle shootingrequires a shooter to be prone, lying on the ground, or requires therifle to be rigidly supported on a bench support. However, the proneposition is often obstructed by obstacles (such as tall grass, fallentrees, low walls, and even rises and falls in geography) and a benchsupport is rarely available while hunting, in mobile shootingcompetitions, or on a battlefield.

The stability with which a rifle may be maintained is important to theaccuracy with which it can be fired. Conversely, the ease oftransporting a rifle and ancillary equipment, as well as the speed withwhich it can be brought to bear, can be important to success duringhunting. Often these considerations are at odds with one another, withstability being obtained by burdensome and complicated equipment, andwith ease of transporting a rifle and ancillary equipment being obtainedwith equipment that compromises stability.

Equipment suitable for fully unsupported shooting positions typicallyrely on bone support rather than muscle support for the rifle to reducefatigue and movement of the rifle during shooting. Often the unsupportedshooting positions will include a sling to reduce strain on the bicep ofthe supporting arm to further stabilize the rifle shooting position.While shooting with an unsupported position requires little more than arifle for transport and can assume a shooting position quickly, thereare substantial limits to the stability with which the rifle may beheld, even when using a sling to stabilize and support the shooting arm.

Equipment suitable for fully supported shooting positions typically relyon a rifle rest, such as those available at commercial shooting ranges,that not only completely support the rifle, but also substantiallyreduce the felt recoil. While suitable for a commercial shooting range,such rifle rests are unworkable in a hunting situation because they areintended to be utilized with shooting benches. Moreover, the rifle restsoften rely to a large extent on weight to reduce the felt recoil, makingtheir transportation during hunting impractical.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,899 discloses a tripod mounted combined gun rest andarm rest. The gun rest includes a platform adapted to be mounted on atripod. The platform includes a forward gun cradle and a rear guncradle, each of which is mounted in an adjustment slot disposed withinthe platform. The tripod is a conventional photographic tripod. Theforward gun cradle and the rear gun cradle can be adjusted so that thecenter of gravity of the gun is centered over the tripod. The platformwith cradles tends to be relatively complicated, and the rifle recoiltends to result in disrupting the position of the tripod making repeatedshooting burdensome because the tripod needs to be readjusted.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,785 discloses a gun holder device that includes agun support device with a body that defines a channel therein, with thechannel being structured to resist lateral motion of the gun. The gunsupport device is structured to be mounted on a tripod, which may be aconventional tripod that is typically used in photography. In additionto being burdensome to carry, the rifle recoil tends to result indisrupting the position of the tripod making repeated shootingburdensome because the tripod needs to be readjusted.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,740 discloses a combination camera mount and gunmount. The gun mount includes mounting units for holding a rifle,attached at either end of the mounting beam. The mounting beam ispivotally attached to a cylindrical post, which is held in place by themounting unit. A camera mount may be attached to the mounting beam. Therifle recoil tends to result in disrupting the position of the tripodmaking repeated shooting burdensome because the tripod needs to bereadjusted.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,668 discloses a weapon rest having a base in theform of a tripod supporting a shaft. A cradle is pivotally secured tothe top of the shaft. A swivel head at the top of the shaft permitshorizontal rotation of the cradle, while the pivot pin permits verticalrotation of the cradle. A spring is connected between the shaft andcradle to provide tension, which is claimed to enhance accuracy. Therifle recoil tends to result in disrupting the position of the tripodmaking repeated shooting burdensome because the tripod needs to bereadjusted.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,313,884 discloses a recoil suppressing gun support. Thegun support includes a base member that is structured to mount on thewindow sill of a hunting shelter. A barrel support is mounted on one endof the base. A cradle is mounted on the opposite end of the base. Amounting plate is attached to the bottom surface of the base by a bolt,in a manner that permits rotation of the base relative to the mountingplate.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,823,318 discloses a rifle recoil absorption system. Therecoil absorption system includes a harness having a large loop ofwebbing material extending along both sides of the fore stock and stockof the rifle, wrapping around the butt. Smaller loops extending aroundthe shoulder stock and fore stock, respectively, hold the loop in place.An attachment strap is secured to the loop of the rifle harness. Theattachment strap passes underneath a table, and attaches to the back endof the table by utilizing a U-shaped clamp.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,549,786 discloses another rifle recoil absorptionsystem.

Recoil reduction structures that are inherently limited to being used ina static location such as a shooting bench are not suitable for beingused in mobile locations, such as on a hunting trip. Recoil reductionstructures that are complicated to assemble are likewise not especiallysuitable for being used in mobile locations, especially when speed isdesirable for the rifle to be brought to bear, which can be important tosuccess during hunting. Furthermore, recoil reduction structures thatare suitable to be supported by a tripod, tend to often result in thetripod being substantially moved during firing resulting in requiringsubstantial realignment for the next firing.

Accordingly, it is desirable for a recoil reduction structure suitablefor being used in mobile locations which are not complicated toassemble, and then when used on a tripod do not tend to result in thetripod being substantially moved during firing to reduce the need forrealignment for the next firing.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of theinvention may be more readily understood upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a tripod.

FIG. 2 illustrates a rifle supported by a tripod.

FIG. 3 illustrates a tripod, a rifle, an auxiliary plate, and a recoilreduction structure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate ofFIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a top view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 7 is a top view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 8 is a top view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG.3 .

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG.3 .

FIG. 11 is a side view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG. 3with a rifle.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG.3 with a rifle.

FIG. 13 is a side view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG. 3with a rifle and tripod.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate ofFIG. 3 with a rifle and tripod.

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the auxiliary plate of FIG.3 with a rifle.

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of a rifle with a grip.

FIG. 17 is a bottom view of a rifle with a grip removed.

FIG. 18 is a bottom view of a rifle with a grip removed and theauxiliary plate of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 19 is a bottom view of a rifle with a grip removed and theauxiliary plate of FIG. 3 being attached.

FIG. 20 is a bottom view of a rifle with a grip removed and theauxiliary plate of FIG. 3 attached thereto.

FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment of a recoil management structure.

FIG. 22 illustrates the recoil management structure of FIG. 21 withportions cut away.

FIG. 23 illustrates another embodiment of a recoil management structure.

FIG. 24 illustrates the recoil management structure of FIG. 23 withportions cut away.

FIG. 25 illustrates another embodiment of a recoil management structure.

FIG. 26 illustrates the recoil management structure of FIG. 25 withportions cut away.

FIG. 27 illustrates another embodiment of a recoil management structurein a pre-loaded state.

FIG. 28 illustrates another embodiment of a recoil management structureof FIG. 27 in an extended or recoiled state.

FIG. 29 illustrates another embodiment of a recoil management structurewith springs in a pre-loaded state.

FIG. 30 illustrates another embodiment of a recoil management structurewith springs of FIG. 29 in an extended or recoiled state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 , in many situations it is desirable to have astable, yet portable, support to permit a shooter to reliably take longand extreme long distance shots (e.g., even beyond 1,000 yards). In manycases, it is desirable that the support is suitable for positioning arifle of a shooter over two feet or more from the ground, preferablyover three feet or more from the ground, and preferably at a heightconsistent with a standing position of the shooter from the ground. Bypositioning the support at an elevated height, the shooter is able toshoot over most obstacles without meaningfully compromising thestability of the system or otherwise meaningfully diminishing accuracy.One suitable type of support is a tripod that includes three legs, eachof which may be moved inward and outward along an arc from an uppercentral region. In addition, each of the legs has an adjustable lengthso that the upper region may be leveled or otherwise oriented in anydesired orientation. In addition, the upper region typically includes athreaded member, or otherwise, suitable to be attached to the base of animaging device or a ball head. An exemplary tripod is illustrated inU.S. Pat. No. 8,398,037, incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

Referring to FIG. 2 , with a relatively light support, such as a tripodprimarily constructed from carbon fiber materials, the recoil energyfrom firing a shot with a rifle supported directly thereon in some fixedmanner, such that the rifle is rigidly interconnected to the upperregion of the tripod, has a tendency to tip the tripod off the ground.After the tripod is tipped off the ground, it does not often landexactly where it was before firing the shot. As a result the shootercan't easily see the impact of his shot, and the shooter needs toreacquire the target before making any follow up shots. This limitationtends to become even more pronounced for inexperienced shooters and withincreasingly larger caliber rifles.

Referring to FIG. 3 , a recoil management assembly 100 is preferablydetachably interconnected to the support. The support preferablyincludes a quick release clamp 110 of any configuration or otherwise aquick release clamp of any configuration affixed to a ball head of anyconfiguration on the top thereof. Other types of detachable connectionsmay likewise be used, as desired. By way of example, one exemplary quickrelease clamp is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,773,172, incorporated byreference herein in its entirety. By way of example, one exemplary ballhead is illustrated in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0175482,incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In this manner, therecoil management assembly may include a pair of dovetail slots 120spaced apart from one another, that may be detachably engaged with thequick release clamp 110. With this detachably engaged arrangement, therecoil management assembly may be interconnected to the support in anefficient manner when in use, and detached from the support in anefficient manner when not in use. Any other engagement structure may beincluded on the recoil management assembly, preferably selected to beconsistent with a detachable connection of a corresponding support(e.g., including a threaded screw on the support in the case thatneither a quick release clamp nor a ball head is used).

Referring to FIGS. 4-20 , an auxiliary body plate may be used for arifle, such as both short and long action rifles. By way of example, theauxiliary body plate may be sized to fit an AIAX, AXMC, and/or AXAICMkI/MkII chassis. In many implementations, the auxiliary body plate mayreplace a standard polymer forend grip permitting a direct and rigidchassis mount. The auxiliary body plate permits the recoil managementassembly to be configured in a manner consistent with the rifle'sbalance point for consistent performance. The auxiliary body plate mayinclude a pair of dovetail slots suitable for being detachably engagedwith a quick release clamp of the recoil management assembly. Theauxiliary body plate may include finger grooves for improved ergonomics,with the front that may be used as a barricade stop, and with the bottombeing parallel with the barrel so that obstacle support is easier andenables improved articulation. The auxiliary body plate may includethree keyslot attachment points on the bottom as well as an incorporatedflush mount for quick detach slings. The auxiliary plate may include anyconfiguration and may also be affixed to the rifle in any manner. Theauxiliary plate may include any engagement structure for detachableinterconnection to the recoil management assembly. The recoil managementassembly may be directly interconnected to the rifle, omitting theauxiliary body plate, if desired.

Referring to FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 , one embodiment of the recoilmanagement assembly 200 may include a pair of spaced apart dovetailslots 220 that are suitable to be detachably engaged with the quickrelease mechanism 110 supported by the tripod. The recoil managementassembly 200 may include a quick release mechanism 210 that is suitableto be detachably engaged with the pair of spaced apart dovetail slots ofthe auxiliary plate. With this detachably engaged arrangement, therecoil management assembly may be interconnected to the auxiliary platein an efficient manner when in use, and detached from the auxiliaryplate in an efficient manner when not in use. The recoil managementassembly may include any suitable structure for detachableinterconnection to the tripod and/or a structure supported by thetripod. The recoil management assembly may include any suitablestructure for detachable interconnection to an auxiliary plate and/ordirectly to a rifle.

While many recoil management systems attempt to absorb substantially allof the recoil energy from the rifle, it was determined that such anattempt to absorb substantially all of the recoil energy from the rifleis a misplaced goal. Rather than attempt to absorb substantially all ofthe recoil energy from the rifle it is desirable to manage the directionof the recoil energy from the rifle. The recoil management assemblypreferably redirects the recoil of the rifle in a single direction. Toredirect the recoil of the rifle in a single direction, the recoilmanagement assembly permits the rifle to travel backward, parallel andin-line with the barrel and scope, while constraining its motion in allother directions and axes. By allowing the rifle to move backward as aresult of shooting the rifle, the energy is directed into the shootersshoulder as normal, and the tripod is less likely to move when theenergy is directed into the shooter's shoulder along a single direction.The result is that the shooter is more likely to see the impact of theirbullet and more quickly be ready for a follow-up shot if needed.

Referring to FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 , the recoil management assembly 200may include a body 230 that defines the spaced apart dovetail slots 220.The body may include an internal rail 240 that extends the internallength of the body 230. The internal rail 240 is preferably affixed tothe base 250 of the body 230 with a set of screws. A first slide 260 maybe slidably engaged with the internal rail 240 so that it may freelyslide with respect to the internal rail 240. A second slide 270 may beslidably engaged with the internal rail 240 so that it may freely slidewith respect to the internal rail 240. The first slide 260 and thesecond slide 270 may be attached to a cover 280 using a set of screws sothat they are both maintained in a spaced apart relationship. The firstslide 260 and the second slide 270 being attached to the cover may beslide along a single direction, consistent with that of the internalrail 240, as a single unit while maintaining the spaced apartrelationship. The quick release mechanism 210 may be attached to thecover 280 which similarly slides along a single direction, consistentwith that of the internal rail 240 as a single unit together with thefirst slide 260 and the second slide 270.

In use, the quick release mechanism 210 together with the cover 280,attached to a rifle, supported by a tripod, would be pushed forward bythe shooter to the end of its travel within the recoil managementassembly 200. Upon shooting the rifle, the recoil would be constrainedwithin a single direction along the axis of travel of the quick releasemechanism 210, which is consistent with that of the internal rail 240.The recoil energy would be primarily absorbed by the shoulder of theshooter in such a manner that the tripod is unlikely to come off theground.

Alternatively, the first slide 260 and the second slide 270 of therecoil management assembly 200 may be combined as a single slide.Alternatively, the internal rail 240 may extend a length less than theinternal length of the body 230. Alternatively, the recoil managementassembly 200 may include any structure that contains the recoil path ofthe rifle in a single direction. Alternatively, the recoil managementassembly 200 may be affixed to the rifle using any structure, includingdirectly connecting to the rifle itself. Alternatively, the recoilmanagement assembly may be affixed to the tripod using any structure,including directly connecting to the tripod itself.

Referring to FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 , another embodiment of the recoilmanagement assembly may include one or more resilient members, such asone or more springs 300, 310 supported by one or more rods, operablyincluded in front of the rifle's attachment point to allow the shooterto press their body weight into the recoil management assembly therebydepressing the one or more springs 300, 310. The resilient member mayinclude a spring, a compressible foam, a bearing, a hydraulic fluid, aresilient band, a stretchable band, etc. The depression of the one ormore springs 300, 310 reduces the likelihood of inadvertently displacingthe tripod support when initially setting up for a shot and whenrepositioning the shoulder of the shooter while setting up for a shot.Upon shooting the rifle, the recoil is constrained along a singledirection, by the recoil management assembly. The recoil likely resultsin the quick release mechanism 270 being pressed forward by the shooter,in which case the one or more springs 300, 310 will tend to dampen anyimpact on the front of the recoil management assembly. In this manner,the front operable resilient members increase the stability of therecoil management assembly, in addition to cushioning the rifle afterrecoil so that it doesn't slam back into the front of the device.

Referring to FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 , another embodiment of the recoilmanagement assembly may include one or more resilient members, such asone or more springs 400, 410 supported by one or more rods, operablyincluded in the rear of the rifle's attachment point to assist insupporting the rifle in a desired position when not being held by theshooter. The resilient member may include a spring, a compressible foam,a bearing, a hydraulic fluid, a resilient band, a stretchable band, etc.This reduces the likelihood of the rifle traveling backward under itsown weight and striking the rear of the recoil management assembly.Preferably, the one or more resilient members are not so stiff that itabsorbs a substantial part of the recoil, so that the tripod does notlift off the ground when the rifle is fired. Upon shooting the rifle,the recoil is constrained along a single direction, by the recoilmanagement assembly. The depression of the one or more springs 400, 410reduces the likelihood of inadvertently displacing the tripod supportwhen the rifle recoils after shooting. The one or more springs 400, 410reduces the likelihood of the quick release mechanism 270 striking therear of the recoil management assembly or otherwise tends to dampen anyimpact on the rear of the recoil management assembly. In this manner,the rear operable resilient members increase the stability of the recoilmanagement assembly, in addition to cushioning the rifle after recoil sothat it doesn't slam into the back of the device. The rear resilientmembers may be omitted, if desired.

Referring to FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 , another embodiment of the recoilmanagement assembly may include one or more rods 500, 510 and one ormore linear motion bearings to restrict the motion of the rifle to onlya single direction upon recoil. As illustrated in FIG. 28 , the recoilmanagement assembly is in its pre-loaded state. As illustrated in FIG.28 , the recoil management assembly is in an extended or recoiled state.Referring to FIG. 30 , in addition, one or more springs 600, 610 (orotherwise) may be added around the rods (or otherwise) 500, 510 todampen the front of the recoil management assembly. Referring to FIG. 29, in addition, one or more springs 700, 710 (or otherwise) may be addedaround the rods (or otherwise) 500, 510 to dampen the rear of the recoilmanagement assembly. Other resilient members may likewise be used. Theone or more springs reduces the likelihood of a movable portion of theassembly striking the rear of the recoil management assembly orotherwise tends to dampen any impact on the rear of the recoilmanagement assembly. In this manner, the rear operable resilient membersincrease the stability of the recoil management assembly, in addition tocushioning the rifle after recoil so that it doesn't slam into the backof the device. The recoil likely results in the movable portion of theassembly striking the rear of the recoil management assembly to someextent in which case it may tend to move forward, in which case the oneor more springs will tend to dampen any impact on the front of therecoil management assembly. In this manner, the front operable resilientmembers increase the stability of the recoil management assembly, inaddition to cushioning the rifle after recoil so that it doesn't slamback into the front of the device. The front resilient members may beomitted, if desired.

Other sliding structures may likewise be used, such as roller bearingson rails, linear automation structures, plain bearings on ground guides,sleeve bearings on tubes, or otherwise. Preferably each of the slidingstructures restrict the motion to a single direction, and provide asmooth, nearly frictionless, and nearly stick-slip free motion, evenunder substantial loads and shocks.

This recoil management assembly may be fitted with a spiked “barricade”accessory, allowing the device to be pressed against a wall, fence,tree, window sill, etc. The recoil management assembly permits the rifleto move backward and then return to its original position without thisbarricade accessory “hopping” and changing position.

The recoil management assembly may be built directly into the riflechassis.

The recoil management assembly may include an adjustment to vary theresistance of the resilient members to more closely match the rifle'srecoil with the amount of movement the shooter wants to feel.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoingspecification are used therein as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms andexpressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of theinvention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

I/We claim:
 1. A recoil management system comprising: (a) an elongatebody that defines a pair of inclined surfaces on opposing sides of saidelongate body suitable to be detachably engaged with a releasemechanism; (b) an upper mechanism supported by said elongate body suchthat said upper mechanism is suitable to be detachably engaged to a pairof inclined surfaces supported by a firearm; (c) a recoil suppressionstructure operably interconnected between said elongate body and saidupper mechanism constraining a recoil of said firearm in a firstdirection parallel and in-line with a primary recoil direction of saidfirearm while constraining said recoil of said firearm in all otherdirections than said first direction; (d) said recoil suppressionstructure includes a dampening structure to reduce said recoil of saidfirearm in said first direction while said upper mechanism is slidablyengaged with respect to said elongate body.
 2. The recoil managementsystem of claim 1 wherein said recoil suppression structure includes anelongate first member.
 3. The recoil management system of claim 2wherein said recoil suppression structure includes a second member thatis movably engaged with said first member.
 4. The recoil managementsystem of claim 3 wherein said first member slides with respect to saidsecond member in response to discharge of said firearm when said firearmis engaged with said upper release mechanism.
 5. The recoil managementsystem of claim 3 wherein said first member and said second member bothslide with respect to said elongate body in response to discharge ofsaid firearm when said firearm is engaged with said upper releasemechanism.
 6. The recoil management system of claim 3 wherein said firstmember and said second member are both connected to an upper portion ofsaid elongate body, where said upper portion of said elongate bodyslides with respect to said first member in response to discharge ofsaid firearm when said firearm is engaged with said upper releasemechanism.
 7. The recoil management system of claim 3 wherein said firstmember is connected to an upper portion of said elongate body, wheresaid upper portion of said elongate body slides with respect to saidfirst member in response to discharge of said firearm when said firearmis engaged with said upper release mechanism.
 8. The recoil managementsystem of claim 3 wherein said first member and said second member aremaintained in a spaced apart relationship with respect to one another byan upper portion of said elongate body, where said upper portion of saidelongate body slides with respect to said first member in response todischarge of said firearm when said firearm is engaged with said upperrelease mechanism.
 9. The recoil management system of claim 3 whereinsaid first member and said second member are maintained in a consistentspaced apart relationship with respect to one another by an upperportion of said elongate body while said upper portion of said elongatebody slides with respect to said first member in response to dischargeof said firearm when said firearm is engaged with said upper releasemechanism.
 10. The recoil management system of claim 3 wherein saidupper release mechanism is maintained in a consistent spacedrelationship with respect to said first member and said second memberwhile a top of said elongate body said slides with respect to said firstmember.
 11. The recoil management system of claim 3 wherein said upperrelease mechanism is maintained in a consistent spaced relationship withrespect to said first member while an upper portion of said elongatebody slides with respect to said first member.